Ah, Anaal Nathrak has got some serious competition. And it’s high time we caught some additional high-octane material that will help burn some of that mental fat off our frames. And to be blunt, the RMR’s 2026 pipeline wasn’t really very dangerous to date. But that is about to change.
Carnifex1 is here. So, beware of murderers, blood-craved crooks, torturers, vile executioners, and other such scoundrels. Brutalization is on the menu, and the band’s album cover already tells you where this is headed. And in no uncertain terms. The meat makers have been seen near you. So, in this sense, hold on to your beloved heads. Or you might get Carnifex-ed, else!
Alright, here’s the service announcement. The RMR crew ain’t no great fan of ‘core. Usually. Unless there’s enough pain in our mutual souls to warrant such ferocity. And by the holy fucking mother of dissonance, there’s blood, fire, and brimstone in More Than Misery‘s terrible, gore-drenched ruminations. In other words, if you thought that Ov Sulfur‘s fare was a terrible experience, take a chainsaw to that. The result will about resemble what you’re about to hear.
Meaning, the RMR crew heard a lot, and I mean a lot of the aforementioned Anaal Nathrak. Y’know, the ones that refuse to say when their next piece will air. Then, Whitechapel is quite present in here as well. And sure enough, Mick Kenney,2 consisting of 50% of the former act, had his thumb on the scale in a number of Carnifex‘s productions in the past. And while he seems to be absent from the list of perpetrators for More Than Misery, his mighty influence is still clearly present. Instead, Zach Householder of Whitechapel3 and Jeff Dunne, a sound engineer from Portland, act as the de facto new production team.
The perceived vitriol on More Than Misery is more than astounding. Mind you, the band’s minions left without a lyrics sheet won’t be able to understand a single syllable. But the thunderdome of a delivery, rolling in on an unforgivingly heavy wall of sound, will do the messaging. Scott Lewis‘ snarls, screams, growls, and rasps rant and rage all along the tracklist with an intensity seldom heard to date. This is not one trying to find unity. But instead, it is the voice of lava-hot rage and anguish, all molten into one.
Deathcore truly is Carnifex‘s main delight, delivered with a cosmic rage that others still need to match. You’ll find limited yet still hellish incursions into other styles as well. Black Metal, for instance, makes its presence known more than once. Delicious breakdowns into Brutal Death Metal suddenly appear (Heart Made of Teeth). And for a few moments you may find a track running along those familiar deathly lines (Only The Dead). You’ll also hear the odd acoustic opener or closer here and there, and even some progressive vibes (Coffin Crowned King). Yet another metallic easter egg are the manic strings straight from Alfred Hitchcock’s murder scene in Psycho on The Process of Pain. There’s much more, but we gotta stop somewhere.
In the end, More Than Misery talked to our mutual tortured souls, same as other pieces did in the past. That said, this is no record for the faint of heart. So, n00bs and non-metalheads abstain. You need to be ready to meet the reincarnation of Lucifer’s idea of dissonance. A hellish soundscape full of minced riffs, abrasive solos, if we can call them that, and general mayhem egged on by a relentless drumming campaign. This is a record that won’t let you rest, and sensory overload is baked into its production on purpose. A place where the softer parts only serve to lull you into some semblance of peace. Just to hit you over the head with Deathcore’s idea of Thor’s hammer all over again.
That said, nothing on More Than Misery is of bad quality or is left to chance. It takes minute skill to deliver 43 minutes of fiery rage and still have it make sense. And this is what Carnifex delivered in spades. Apart from burning a load of mental fat off this crew’s backs. So, well done, and let’s have that next one, shall we?
Record Rating: 8/10 | Label: Sumerian Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 6 November 2026